Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 98-10-06
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, October 6, 1998
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS HEADLINES
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] THESSALONIKI HOSPITAL DOCTORS TO CONTINUE STRIKE FOR FIFTH
WEEK
[02] DEFENDORY '98 ARMS FAIR BEGINS IN PIRAEUS TODAY
[03] NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL SOLANA TO ARRIVE IN ATHENS ON FRIDAY
[04] GREECE HAS SERIOUS RESERVATIONS ON MILITARY ACTION TAKEN IN
KOSSOVO
[05] KOSTAKIS ART COLLECTION ARRIVES IN THESSALONIKI TODAY
[06] AIR BALLOONS TO FILL THESSALONIKI'S SKY WITH A MYRIAD OF
COLORS [07] REPPAS: THE GOVERNMENT HAS SENT ITS MESSAGE TO
MILOSEVIC
[08] SIMITIS: GREECE HANDLES THE CRISIS SUCCESSFULLY
[09] THE REGISTERED VOTERS FOR SUNDAY'S LOCAL ELECTIONS
[10] FILMS BY DISTINGUISHED DIRECTORS WILL CONTEST IN THE GREEK
PANORAMA OF THESSALONIKI'S FILM FESTIVAL
[11] NEW ELECTRICITY PLANT WAS INAUGURATED IN LAVRION BY PRIME
MINISTER SIMITIS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[12] GLOBAL MONEY MARKETS SHAKY, THREAT OF WORLD RECESSION LOOMS
AHEAD
[13] US ENVOY HOLBROOKE TO MEET WITH KOSSOVO REBELS
[14] HOLBROOKE DELIVERS ELEVENTH-HOUR WARNING TO MILOSEVIC
[15] KOFI ANNAN NEITHER ENDORSES, NOR REJECTS NATO STRIKE IN
KOSSOVO
[16] CYPRUS'S ACCESSION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION IS ON THE RIGHT
COURSE
[17] PARTIAL MOBILIZATION IN YUGOSLAVIA IN LIGHT OF POSSIBLE NATO
STRIKE
[18] SERB INFORMATION MINISTRY TO MEDIA: DON'T REBROADCAST FOREIGN
NEWS
[19] THE YUGOSLAV ARMY RESERVES ARE IN PARTIAL MOBILIZATION
[20] THE NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE OPENS NEW BRANCHES IN ALBANIA
[21] GORBACHEV: TURKEY IS MISTAKEN IN ITS APPRECIATION OF THE S-
300 MISSILES PROBLEM
[22] AN ARMED ALBANIAN FORCED HIS WAY IN THE GREEK CONSULATE
BUILDING IN KORITSA BY FIRING INTO THE AIR
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] THESSALONIKI HOSPITAL DOCTORS TO CONTINUE STRIKE FOR FIFTH
WEEK
Hospital doctors in Thessaloniki will continue their strike
for a fifth consecutive week, defying their administrative
council's advice to end the protest.
As a result, the president of the Union of Hospital Doctors
and four other council members submitted their resignations.
Meanwhile, the city's municipal court has ordered the arrest
of anyone who obstructs the smooth operation of the hospitals.
[02] DEFENDORY '98 ARMS FAIR BEGINS IN PIRAEUS TODAY
The "Defendory" international trade fair for conventional
defense systems, held under the auspices of the Greek Defense
Ministry, is to begin today at the port authority's seafront
exhibition center
Among the firms taking part in the trade fair, which ends on
October 10, is the Hellenic Arms Industry, which is to present
nine new products resulting from joint ventures.
The products include Shorad mobile anti-aircraft missile
systems and Milan anti-tank missile launchers.
[03] NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL SOLANA TO ARRIVE IN ATHENS ON FRIDAY
NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana is to arrive in Athens
on Friday and will be received by the Prime Minister Kostas
Simitis, according to government spokesman Dimitris Reppas.
Mr. Reppas said he had no new information on the dialogue
between Greece and Turkey at NATO under Mr. Solana's auspices .
Moreover, he did not comment on press reports which claim there
had been a recent meeting between Greek and Turkish officials on
the issue, saying that it was Mr. Solana's as well as Athens' and
Ankara's wish that these talks remain confidential.
[04] GREECE HAS SERIOUS RESERVATIONS ON MILITARY ACTION TAKEN IN
KOSSOVO
The Greek government has "serious reservations" about the
undertaking of any military action to resolve the conflict in the
Yugoslav province of Kossovo.
Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stated that "the
solution to the crisis must be political and found through
dialogue," expressing the hope that the consultations currently
under way will yield positive results.
"There must be no more bloodshed in the region," he said.
[05] KOSTAKIS ART COLLECTION ARRIVES IN THESSALONIKI TODAY
The "Kostakis collection" of Russian avant-garde works of art
will begin arriving in Thessaloniki today from the city of Cologne
and will be initially housed at the Lazariston Monastery until the
completion of the city's modern art museum.
Minister of Culture Evangelos Venizelos stated that an
interim agreement has been signed for the purchase of about half
of the Kostakis collection in January. A substantial part of the
Kostakis Collection is also in the possession of the Tretiakov
Gallery in Moscow.
George Kostakis, a Moscow resident of Greek descent, amassed
the collection between 1930 and 1960 by exchanging works by
western artists for paintings dating from the period 1910-1930 by
then unknown Russian avant-garde artists.
The collection, which now belongs to the grand-daughter of
the famous collector, Aliki Kostaki, includes works by Malevic,
founder of the "Supremacist" school, Tatlin, the founder of
"Constructivism", Popova, Rozanova and Mathiushin.
[06] AIR BALLOONS TO FILL THESSALONIKI'S SKY WITH A MYRIAD OF
COLORS
Thessaloniki's sky is to be filled with brightly-colored air
balloons for the next three days, as the First Air Balloon Cup
races, organized by the Ministry of Health, gets underway today.
Locals and visitors will have the chance to enjoy a
spectacular event which features the participation of twenty air
balloons with crews from Greece, Britain, Ukraine, Turkey and
Slovakia.
The race will begin this evening in front of the city's
landmark White Tower and balloonists will fly to Mt. Olympus,
reaching heights of 20,000 feet. Crew members are also expected to
conduct parachute jumps.
[07] REPPAS: THE GOVERNMENT HAS SENT ITS MESSAGE TO MILOSEVIC
The Greek government has sent its message to Yugoslav
president Slobodan Milosevic through the diplomatic route and will
do everything possible for a political solution in Kosovo, stated
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas.
According to Mr. Reppas, the situation in Kosovo will be
discussed in the NATO foreign ministers meeting that will be held
on Thursday and pointed out that it is not clear if Theodoros
Pangalos will attend the meeting.
[08] SIMITIS: GREECE HANDLES THE CRISIS SUCCESSFULLY
Prime minister Kostas Simitis stated that Greece handles
successfully the crisis in the world economy which emerged in the
past few months.
In the Athens Stock Exchange the general price index showed a
marginal rise of 0.41%. Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Spain
announced a basic loan interest rate cut of 3.75%, a move which is
expected to be imitated by other countries as well like, Italy and
Ireland.
Upward trends prevailed in the European stock markets since
this morning.
[09] THE REGISTERED VOTERS FOR SUNDAY'S LOCAL ELECTIONS
The registered voters, who have the right to cast their vote
in Sunday's elections at a municipal and prefecture level, are
8.912.000 (4.353.000 men and 4.558.000 women). This time, among
them are 1.468 citizens of European Union member states.
The vote will start in the 22.061 polling stations at 7am on
Sunday morning and will last until 7pm.
In the prefecture of Thessaloniki the registered voters are
632.993 (300.992 men and 332071 women) and they will cast their
votes in 1.401 polling stations. The candidates for the posts of
prefect, mayor and community leader do not need a vote of
preference.
[10] FILMS BY DISTINGUISHED DIRECTORS WILL CONTEST IN THE GREEK
PANORAMA OF THESSALONIKI'S FILM FESTIVAL
Works by distinguished directors like Thodoros Angelopoulos,
Nikos Koundouros, Pantelis Voulgaris and others are among the 24
films for which applications have been filed for their
participation in the Greek Panorama of the 39th Film Festival of
Thessaloniki.
The selection of the films that will be screened within the
framework of the Greek Panorama will be made by Festival director
Michel Dimopoulos and a three-member committee made up of Nikos
Vergitis, Lefteris Pavlopoulos and Babis Aktsoglou. Their decision
will be announced on October 12.
[11] NEW ELECTRICITY PLANT WAS INAUGURATED IN LAVRION BY PRIME
MINISTER SIMITIS
Prime minister Kostas Simitis referred to the energy policy
of his government in the speech he delivered in the formal opening
of the new natural gas based electricity production plant in
Lavrion.
Mr. Simitis characterized the plant in Lavrion as the biggest
project for the production of electricity from natural gas and
stated that its construction and operation will offer a solution
to the energy problem faced by the country and especially, by the
wider region of Athens.
The prime minister stated that Greece's wish is to be linked
with the energy networks of Italy and western Europe, while at the
same time it wants the expansion of those networks to the East
creating new sources of supply and achieving better economic terms
without being dependent on monopolies.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[12] GLOBAL MONEY MARKETS SHAKY, THREAT OF WORLD RECESSION LOOMS
AHEAD
Global financial markets continue to feel the ground shake
beneath them, as they await the outcome of the International
Monetary Fund's general assembly.
An indication that the threat of a global recession looms
ahead, the New York Stock Exchange closed yesterday with a .80%
drop, a direction followed by all of Europe's stock markets. In
Athens, the general price index closed with a loss of .15%.
[13] US ENVOY HOLBROOKE TO MEET WITH KOSSOVO REBELS
United States envoy Richard Holbrooke is to meet with leaders
of Kossovo's autonomists in Prishtina today.
Following his meeting with Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic yesterday, Mr. Holbrooke stated that he did not reach
any breakthrough and stated that the situation remains extremely
grave.
Mr. Milosevic stated that the threat of a NATO military
intervention in his country is "a criminal act".
[14] HOLBROOKE DELIVERS ELEVENTH-HOUR WARNING TO MILOSEVIC
Even though United States envoy Richard Holbrooke has
delivered an 11th-hour warning
to Yugoslavia that it halt its attacks against Kossovo's
Albanians, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has given no sign
of backing down.
Following his meeting with Mr. Holbrooke, Mr. Milosevic's
office denounced the threats of a NATO strike as a "criminal act".
Mr. Milosevic repeated that Belgrade is prepared to return to the
negotiating table.
United States President Bill Clinton expressed concern that
Mr. Milosevic was "playing the classic game of making false
promises" to avoid military strikes.
In a phone call with Russian President Boris Yeltsin, he said Mr.
Milosevic's compliance with UN demands "must be verifiable,
tangible and irreversible.''
While Russia has reiterated its opposition to military action
taken against Yugoslavia, President Yeltsin has conveyed to Mr.
Milosevic that unless immediate steps were taken to remedy the
situation, the Alliance could go ahead with its plans to use
force.
The government in Belgrade has meanwhile approved a Russian
proposal to allow monitors from the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) into Kossovo to make their own
report.
[15] KOFI ANNAN NEITHER ENDORSES, NOR REJECTS NATO STRIKE IN
KOSSOVO
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who presented
his report on the Kossovo crisis to the Security Council
yesterday, has decried the "appalling atrocities in Kossovo," and
said it was clear Yugoslav forces were responsible for the bulk of
them.
However, Mr. Annan said he did not have the means to verify
whether President Milosevic had complied with UN resolutions
demanding a cease-fire.
According to the BBC, Mr. Annan's failure to endorse or
reject military intervention has come as a sharp anti-climax, as
NATO member-states had been awaiting the report to determine
whether to use military force.
[16] CYPRUS'S ACCESSION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION IS ON THE RIGHT
COURSE
The European Union's Foreign Ministers Council, which met in
Luxembourg yesterday, issued a communique stating that substantive
negotiations between the European Union and the six candidate-
countries will start on November 10.
According to the communique, the 15 foreign ministers have
unanimously agreed that screening talks with Cyprus, Hungary,
Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Slovenia proceeded so
well that the enlargement talks can now move at an accelerated
pace.
In regards to Cyprus, the communique stated that the EU's
target is the creation of "a bi-zonal and bi-communal state based
on the overall political settlement of the Cyprus issue on the
basis of relevant UN resolutions."
It added that "progress achieved in the accession course of
Cyprus, as well as those linked to a viable and just solution to
the Cyprus issue will naturally support each other."
The Council also expressed regret over the fact that a
solution has not yet been found to the continuing division of
Cyprus. Nevertheless, the reunification before accession demand
expressed by France and Italy was ignored.
Speaking to reporters yesterday afternoon, Greek Foreign
Minister Theodoros Pangalos expressed his satisfaction over
references made to Cyprus.
When asked whether the accession of a divided Cyprus into the
EU would be feasible, Mr.
Pangalos pointed to the example of Germany which, although
divided, was among the countries which played a leading role in
the course towards European unification, as he noted.
Replying to another question, Mr. Pangalos referred to
efforts by France, primarily, to link the accession of Cyprus to
the EU with a solution to the Cyprus issue. He said that once
again France raised a similar issue and that again it received the
necessary reply.
However, French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine warned
"there cannot be automatic membership for a divided Cyprus".
[17] PARTIAL MOBILIZATION IN YUGOSLAVIA IN LIGHT OF POSSIBLE NATO
STRIKE
Yugoslavia embarked on a partial mobilization of its forces
later last night, according to reports, thereby responding to the
preparation of NATO's forces for a possible air strike against
military targets in Belgrade.
According to the same reports, the mobilization is conducted
through special invitations forwarded to reservists who have been
trained in anti-aircraft artillery.
Yugoslavia's federal parliament also held a session last
night where Prime Minister Momir
Bulatovic said the country was facing an immediate threat of war
and asked parliament to
adopt proposed legislation for special funding "to defend the
country".
[18] SERB INFORMATION MINISTRY TO MEDIA: DON'T REBROADCAST FOREIGN
NEWS
Serbia's information ministry warned yesterday against
independent broadcasters re-transmitting foreign programs, the
private B-92 radio station reported, citing a ministry communique.
Such programs were "made by the propaganda services of
western powers which are conducting a hostile policy" towards
Yugoslavia, the ministry said.
It warned that reproducing them was a "direct offense against
constitutional order" which amounted to espionage against one's
own people, adding that it would tolerate "no form of subversive
activity prejudicial to the country's defense capability."
The government statement followed threats in the Yugoslav
parliament by extreme nationalist Vojislav Seseli against
Yugoslavs working for foreign media and local radio stations which
made use of foreign programs.
"We are certainly not going to allow the retransmission of
statements which are part of the war being waged by the West
against Yugoslavia," Seseli said, singling out the Voice of
America, the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Radio Free Europe and Radio
France Internationale.
The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)
responded by telling its members to carry on as normal. The
French-based press freedom organization Reporters sans Frontieres
expressed its concern yesterday in a letter forwarded Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic at the increase in threats to the
press.
[19] THE YUGOSLAV ARMY RESERVES ARE IN PARTIAL MOBILIZATION
According to information, Yugoslavia has put its army in a
state of partial mobilization, giving an indirect response to the
NATO forces' preparations for a possible air strike against
Belgrade's military targets.
The mobilization of reserves is being made through
invitations to specially trained personnel in anti-aircraft
weapons and in other weapons used by the Air Force.
[20] THE NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE OPENS NEW BRANCHES IN ALBANIA
The National Bank of Greece aims at expanding its activities
across Albania.
According to a publication by newspaper "Zeri i Populit", the
branch of the National Bank of Greece in Durres will be
inaugurated in November and later the branch in Koritsa will also
be in operation. The management of the National Bank of Greece
also aims at the quick opening of the branches in Skoder and
Gjirokastra.
[21] GORBACHEV: TURKEY IS MISTAKEN IN ITS APPRECIATION OF THE S-
300 MISSILES PROBLEM
Turkey makes a mistake in its appreciation of the issue of
the S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, mentions in an interview with
the Turkish newspaper "Yeni Yuzyil" the last leader of the former
Soviet Union Michail Gorbachev.
The issue of the S-300 missiles is blown out of proportion as
new scenarios of a Greek-Turkish war are being presented
constantly, said Mr. Gorbachev, adding that according to his
opinion, neither of the two sides will be so thoughtless to enter
a war, stressing that both Turkey and Greece know that such a war
will be a disaster for each one of them. He also said that Turkey
makes a mistake in its appreciation of the problem of the S-300
missiles, adding that there are certain people who want to create
a conflict stressing "you know better to whom I am referring to".
Referring to Russia's internal problems, Mr. Gorbachev
stressed that the scenarios on Russia will be pessimistic in case
Yeltsin does not resign voluntarily. The last leader of the former
Soviet Union underlined that he will not run for the presidency of
Russia and that he regards as best candidate for the post Moscow's
mayor Yuri Luzkov.
He said that in case things worsen and people take to the
streets former army general Alexander Lebent is possible to come
to power, pointing out that in such a case the government may be
tough but Lebent will never turn into a dictator. Mr. Gorbachev
added that even if the crisis in Russia becomes deeper the army
will remain neutral.
[22] AN ARMED ALBANIAN FORCED HIS WAY IN THE GREEK CONSULATE
BUILDING IN KORITSA BY FIRING INTO THE AIR
An armed incident was recorded yesterday morning at the Greek
consulate in the Albanian city of Koritsa when an armed Albanian
entered the building firing indiscriminately at anyone present.
The Albanian police officers guarding the consulate returned the
shots and wounded Mirket Demtse, who was taken to an Athens
hospital.
The Greek embassy in Tirana press adviser Nikos Vlachakis in
statements he made to MPA stressed that this incident did not
affect the operation of the Greek consulate in Koritsa and added
that the armed Albanian was under the influence of alcohol at the
time of the attack.
Complete archives of the Macedonian Press Agency bulletins are available
on the MPA Home Page at http://www.mpa.gr/ and on the U.S. mirror at
http://www.hri.org/MPA/
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